BATON ROUGE, La. -- We're only a couple of weeks away from LSU's first spring practice on March 7. With that in mind, let's take a look at some players who have the opportunity to help their cause by stringing together a strong month of practices.

We begin this week's list with a look at an early enrollee who hopes to seize some playing time at a position that struggled for much of the 2013 season, safety.

Enrolling early can give ESPN 300 safety signee Edward Paris Jr. a leg up in the battle to replace Craig Loston. Max Olson/ESPN.com

2013 review: The native Louisianan ranked among the nation's top safety prospects at Mansfield Timberview High School in Arlington, Texas. The U.S. Army All-American was ESPN's No. 50 overall prospect and No. 4 safety when he enrolled at LSU in January.

Why spring is important: The Tigers experienced their share of upheaval at safety last season, experimenting with seven starting combinations at the position. Now they move forward without 2013 senior Craig Loston, who started 10 of the 13 games last year. Jalen Mills shifted to safety for the bowl game against Iowa and seems likely to remain there this spring, but the other safety spot just might be up for grabs. The other safeties who started in 2013 -- Corey Thompson, Ronald Martin and Rickey Jefferson -- remain on the roster, so there are plenty of candidates. Several other well-regarded prospects, led by No. 2 safety Jamal Adams, will arrive this summer. But Paris has the advantage of already being on campus, meaning he will have a leg up on his fellow 2014 recruits by participating in spring practice and could carve out a niche at an unproven position if he gets off to a quick start.

Best case/worst case: Getting a spring under his belt, before the arrival of the high-pressure circumstances that accompany preseason practice, obviously will benefit Paris. Look at what a strong spring did last year for early enrollee Christian LaCouture, who became one of the Tigers' top reserves at defensive tackle after arriving on campus months ahead of more heralded recruits. If Paris starts strong this spring and follows it up with another solid camp in August, he might just find himself in contention for a starting spot in the fall -- or at least a spot on the safety depth chart. If he struggles, he might be limited to special teams duty or even a possible redshirt while other freshman signees get a chance to play scrimmage downs.